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“Lady Lavinia, my lady,” Lavinia said with another curtsy.
“Ah. Delighted to introduce you to my great-niece, Princess Victoria.”
The princess smiled an innocent smile and performed a perfect curtsy. “A pleasure,” she said with a slight accent.
“I trust your journey was smooth?” Lady Elinor asked.
“As much as could be expected,” Payne answered with a smile. “But we are rather tired.”
“Of course. Let me show you to your rooms. Lady Lavinia, Victoria will show you to your chambers.”
Lavinia smiled at her friends as they shuffled away after Lady Elinor. As soon as they disappeared behind the curve of the staircase, Princess Victoria grabbed her arm.
“I am so pleased to meet you, truly!” she said excitedly.
Lavinia blinked. “You are?”
“Of course! Caroline speaks so highly of you.”
“She does?” Lavinia was so taken aback by the princess’s uncharacteristic friendliness and more so by what she said about Caroline that the only thing she could do was repeat the statements back to her.
“Yes. And about Lady Payne as well. But my aunt is very strict about etiquette. I did not dare show my emotions in front of her. Not that she would punish me for it, but I have to pretend to be a proper English lady when I am around her or she is afraid I shall not find a husband.”
All Lavinia could do was smile at the flurry of words leaving the young princess’s mouth. Her speech was very cultured, but something about the way she spoke gave away the fact that English was not her native language. And the accent became more and more noticeable the more she spoke.
“It’s a genuine pleasure to meet you,” Lavinia said, for the lack of a better reply. “Is Caroline here?”
“Yes.” Princess Victoria turned and beckoned Lavinia to follow. Of course, Caroline was here. This had been her house, after all, and the marquess was her cousin. “And I left you the perfect room right by her side. It is in the family wing, obviously. After all, according to Caroline, youarefamily.”
Perfect. Just what Lavinia needed, crying her nights away, imagining what Caroline was doing in there with her husband. It was understandable why Princess Victoria would want them to be nearby, but Lavinia wished she could be in the furthest corner of the guest wing. She couldn’t very well say that to the princess, so she followed her silently.
“See, I do not know anybody here. But Caroline was so nice to me, and we became fast friends. I do hope we can be friends also. Yes?”
Lavinia smiled. “Of course, we can. I would be delighted, Your Highness.”
Princess Victoria let out a musical laugh. “Please. Nobody calls me that, least of all my friends. Call me Victoria.”
“Oh, I couldn’t!” Lavinia exclaimed.
“I insist.”
They walked in silence for a moment. “So, are you here to secure yourself an advantageous match for political reasons? I mean, does your father want to gain allies by marrying you into the British aristocracy?” Lavinia asked.
“Do I seek an advantageous match? Yes. Is it for the benefit of my father? No.” They stopped in front of the doors to a chamber. “This is where you will reside. The door to your left is where Caroline is, and the door further up is where the Paynes are staying.”
Lavinia opened the door and entered a beautiful, spacious chamber. She had never stayed in a chamber such as this. In her home, her room was small and dark. And when she stayed at house parties, she always had a smaller room, which she had to share with her maid. Which reminded her that she didn’t have a maid this time.
She turned toward Victoria, who followed her inside.
“I will need a maid,” she started uncomfortably. She wasn’t used to asking anything, but she needed someone to help her dress.
“Of course. I shall notify our housekeeper right away,” Victoria said with a smile.
Lavinia placed her basket on the floor and opened the lid. Miss Gale immediately jumped out and started licking herself in irritation.
“Oh, you have a cat! How lovely!” Victoria picked up Miss Gale and sat down, forcing the poor cat on her lap.
“Please, be careful. She doesn’t take well to strangers. Actually, she is usually quite gentle with women, so I am not surprised she hasn’t scratched you. But she does not like men at all.”
